Stevo Pearce, the influential founder of the legendary Some Bizzare record label, is presenting a new exhibition of paintings this summer, bringing the same instinctive and uncompromising approach that helped launch artists including Soft Cell, Depeche Mode, Marc Almond, The The and Einstürzende Neubauten into a new creative arena.
Opening at Farsight Gallery in London’s West End, Chaos marks the latest chapter in Pearce’s career. Best known for reshaping independent music during the late 1970s and 1980s, Pearce has spent the last decade developing a painting practice rooted in spontaneity, movement and intuition.
Curated by Sean McLusky and presented by Farsight Collective, the exhibition brings together a body of abstract expressionist works created without preparatory sketches or revisions. Working directly onto raw board with thick impasto oils, crayon and ink, Pearce allows each painting to develop instinctively.
“The art is the movement of the hand in a rhythmical pattern that creates my art,”
says Pearce. His works emerge through what he describes as an internal soundtrack, where
“music in my mind… it chooses the moment, not me.”
The exhibition reflects the same independent spirit that defined Some Bizzare. Founded in 1981, the label became one of Britain’s most influential cultural incubators, championing artists who would go on to define post-punk, industrial and electronic music while pioneering a model that combined creative independence with major-label distribution.
Rather than looking back nostalgically, Chaos positions Pearce’s visual practice as part of an ongoing creative journey. Alongside the paintings, the exhibition will host a series of conversations exploring the continuing legacy of Some Bizzare, bringing together musicians, collaborators and artists discovered and championed by Pearce over the past four decades. Moderated by broadcaster Chris Cowey, the talks will examine how the label helped reshape independent music and continues to influence contemporary artists today.
Raw, energetic and deeply personal, the paintings channel the same willingness to embrace risk that made Pearce one of the UK’s most influential cultural provocateurs. While the medium has changed, the philosophy remains remarkably consistent: intuition over perfection, experimentation over convention, and creative freedom above all else.
Chaos: The Art of Stevo Pearce, 26th June – 4th July 2026, Farsight Gallery
In Conversation PLUS Q&A: The Some Bizzare Legacy Friday 26th June / second date TBC
Stevo will be joined in conversation by artists, musicians and collaborators he has discovered, signed, produced and championed throughout his career. These intimate discussions offer a rare opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of how Some Bizzare helped shape the landscape of independent music and continues to influence artists today. Moderated by Chris Cowey, the acclaimed producer behind The Tube, Top of the Pops and Glastonbury coverage.
Participating guests to be announced. Told by the people who lived it. somebizzare.com & Somebizzare.net
